Description
In this lesson, students will work with the National Geographic website and their "Forces of Nature" page to learn about natural disasters.
Website(s)
National Geographic, "Forces of Nature"
Objectives
Cognitive –
Identify where and why earthquakes occur.
Identify and describe equipment used to detect and measure earthquakes.
Explain the importance of preparing for earthquakes.
Define seismic waves and describe how they move.
Define the Richter scale and explain how it rates earthquakes.
Identify and label the major parts of a volcano.
Recall and use information about the plate tectonics to talk about volcanoes.
Identify and explain the activity of volcanoes.
Identify conditions involved in thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
Describe what actions should be taken to reduce loss of life.
Explain how each of these storms form.
Affective –
Offer opinions as to why earthquakes occur.
Offer opinions as to why volcanoes occur.
Offer opinions as to what to do during a weather natural disaster.
Duration
Four 40-45 minute periods
Materials/Web Resources
Students will need to be working alone or in pairs with computers during this lesson. They will also need to have internet access to complete this lesson. Students will need to access the following link in order to complete this lesson:
Forces Of Nature Website
Procedure
Day 1 - Earthquakes
Teacher will ask students, "How do earthquakes occur?"
Students will respond that earthquakes occur when the earth's plates move.
Teacher will ask students where most earthquakes occur in the United States.
Students will respond that most earthquakes occur in California.
Teacher will tell students that they will be looking at earthquakes online today.
Teacher will direct students to Forces of Nature website.
Teacher will hand out questions for the students to explore as they make their way through the Earthquakes page on the website.
Students will hand in the answers to the questions at the end of the period.
Day 2 - Volcanoes
Teacher will ask students, "How do volcanoes occur?"
Students will respond that volcanoes occur when magma under pressure erupts on to the surface of the Earth.
Teacher will ask students where they may have seen an earthquake before.
Students will respond that with appropriate answers, such as the Hawaiian Islands.
Teacher will tell students that they will be looking at volcanoes online today.
Teacher will direct students to the Forces of Nature website.
Teacher will handout questions for the students to explore as they make their way through the Volcanoes page on the website.
Students will hand in the answers to the questions at the end of the period.
Day 3 - Hurricanes
Teacher will as students, "How do hurricanes occur?"
Students will respond that hurricanes occur when a storm spins and creates lots of wind and rain.
Teacher will ask students where most hurricanes occur in the United States.
Students will respond that most hurricanes occur in the Southwestern United States.
Teacher will tell students that they will be looking at hurricanes online today.
Teacher will direct students to the Forces of Nature website.
Teacher will handout questions for the students to explore as they make their way through the Hurricanes page on the website.
Students will hand in the answers to the questions at the end of the period.
Day 4 - Tornadoes
Teacher will as students, "How do tornadoes occur?"
Students will respond that tornadoes occur when the wind spins during a thunderstorm.
Teacher will ask students where most tornadoes occur in the United States.
Students will respond that most tornadoes occur in the Midwestern United States.
Teacher will tell students that they will be looking at tornadoes online today.
Teacher will direct students to the Forces of Nature website.
Teacher will handout questions for the students to explore as they make their way through the Tornadoes page on the website.
Students will hand in the answers to the questions at the end of the period.
Assessment
Students will work on the following writing assignment dealing with Natural Disasters. The criteria and the rubric are in the handout for the students.
Writing Activity and Rubric- Natural Disasters
Support Materials
The questions used for each section of this lesson are found in the documents below:
Hurricane QuestionsTornado QuestionsEarthquake QuestionsVolcano Questions
SMART Board
The teacher can utilize the SMART Board to guide students who are struggling through the lesson. The SMART Board can also be used to focus students' attention on an important piece of content.
Author
Stephen Caldwell, Enlarged City School District of Middletown
